Lent Approaches...

Lent, this year, comes the earliest it's been in over a hundred years... All I know is that it will be here ALREADY on Wednesday. My mind, as a mom, turns to Christ's suffering, and the suffering of His Mother.

There is so much in my life that I can so easily take for granted. Feeling sorry for myself can come quite easily... The day to day of raising kids, homeschooling, housework, budgeting, balancing all these balls in the air while still trying to be the best spouse I know how to be. Okay, so don't ask my husband about that part...

But really, what do I need to keep all these things in balance? Who understands, more than anyone, what I'm feeling, what I'm going through? And why is it, no matter how tough or how hard I think life is at any particular moment, I can usually think of someone worse off?... unfortunately...

Right now I have one friend that just had major surgery on her arm, recovering from a hard fall, while trying to take care of her ailing husband, who she is more concerned about than herself... I have another trying to raise and homeschool her three young daughters and maintain her own health and sanity as she works pretty much full time at a business that she and her husband have thus far been unable to sell, another priest friend of mine that just last week unexpectedly lost his younger sister to a heart attack, and still others, even family members, young and old, dealing with serious health issues. Unfortunately, there are just too many to list...

I really don't have it so bad... I'm fairly healthy, my kids are healthy, my husband, God Bless Him, has a good job that he can go to and provide for us, so that I'm able to stay home with our kids... and though we would love to find a bigger place to live, we have a roof over our heads and a place to lay our heads at night... For now, I guess we are where God wants us. But even where we are at, physically, there is always room for growth, spiritually. Something I have been lacking in, it seems as of recent months...

So, Lent is upon us... An opportunity for us to take all that burdens us and place them in God's capable hands as we follow him to the desert for 40 days... As we walk alongside His mother, Mary, and contemplate in our hearts, as She did in hers, the love of Jesus and what he has done for us... Mary, our Mother... she gave up EVERYTHING, and in return, He gave US eternal salvation.... God help me in my quest to decrease, so that He may increase....

Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on me. Immaculate Heart of Mary, love, lead and guide me. Blood of Jesus, cover me. Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I love you, save souls. Jesus, I trust in You.